


The Best

by kikabennet



Series: The Wonderful World of Teenagers [4]
Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Big family, Brotherly Love, Cute Kids, Domestic Ian Gallagher/Mickey Milkovich, Family Drama, Family Feels, Father-Daughter Relationship, Husbands, Little Girls, Multi, Single Parents, Teenagers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-17
Updated: 2016-01-17
Packaged: 2018-05-14 11:02:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5741206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kikabennet/pseuds/kikabennet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Part of the "Wonderful World of Teenagers" series. Lip compares his life to Mickey and Ian's and worries about his own family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Best

**Author's Note:**

> Not really Milkovich oriented, but I hope you enjoy this anyway. Lip is one of my favorite Shameless characters and I'd hate leave him out. I hope you enjoy it! And thanks for continuing to stick with my series! I appreciate all of the feedback, bookmarks, and kudos!

Lip finished his cigarette and stepped back into the house to find the girls exactly where he'd left them. Six-year-old Daniella, who was called 'Danny' by most, and four-year-old Brooklyn, affectionately dubbed 'Brooke' were leaning against one another on the sofa watching _Frozen 3_ for the millionth time that week. Lip glanced at the TV and then back at his girls, who looked much more like him than Natalie.

“Alright,” he said, moving in front of the TV, picking up the clicker and turning it off. “Bedtime.”

“Aw,” Brooke pouted, falling over sideways.

“It's not even a school night,” Danny argued. “Can we just finish it? Please?”

“You've seen it a bunch of times,” Lip said, coaxing them off of the couch. “Elsa sings. Anna sings. There are snowflakes everywhere and the arctic fox does something funny.”

Lip knew there was no real harm in letting them stay up late to finish the last thirty minutes, but he was very strict about keeping the girls on a routine schedule. Fiona joked that he was more of a mom than she ever was.

He prodded them to the bedroom they shared and helped Brooke into her pajamas. Danny was able to dress herself, and after she did so, she traveled to the bathroom without being asked to brush her teeth. Lip followed behind with Brooke.

“You work tomorrow, Daddy?” Brooke asked as she squirted some toothpaste onto her toothbrush.

“Uh, yeah,” Lip said. “But it's one of the last Saturdays I'll have to work, and then we'll get to do fun Saturday stuff again, okay?”

“Are we going to Aunt Fiona's and Uncle Jimmy's tomorrow?” Danny asked, spitting in the sink.

“No, you're staying with Uncle Ian and Uncle Mickey,” Lip said.

“Yay!” Brooke jumped up and down, trying to see her reflection in the mirror. “Uncle Ian!”

Lip picked her up so she could see herself fully. Their faces side by side, no one could ever _not_ know they were father and daughter. Both girls had dirty blonde curls and large, but slightly vacant looking blue eyes like their father, but he could see Natalie in them too. The shape of their lips, their fingers and toes, noses...

“Bedtime,” Lip said, setting her back down onto the floor. “Danny, come on.”

He tucked the girls into the large full bed they shared and gave each of them a kiss, rolling Brooke over onto her side because she slept better that way.

“Sleep tight, okay?” Ian gave them each a little squeeze with each of his hands through the covers.

After he shut off the light and turned on the Discovery Kids fancy aquarium nightlight complete with ocean sounds-the one that rotated images of ocean life all around the room, he pulled the door just a little and traveled back downstairs to clean up the mess. Danny and Brooke in a single movie night could look like a whole theater's worth of movie-goers had come in. There were fruit snack wrappers and half-drank cups of chocolate milk and Hershey Kisses wrappers. Not to mention all the toys. Lip still didn't understand why all of their toys needed to watch TV too.

It grew lonely once the girls were sleeping and the house was quiet, the house he and Natalie had bought just before Danny was born.

Natalie.

Lip wondered if she ever thought about the house or the girls. Probably not. She hadn't thought much about them when she was around, so why would she give a shit about them once she was gone? Lip didn't miss her-not all the time- but it killed him to think that one day, it would affect their daughters. There were no if, ands, or buts about that because it happened to him. Monica had abandoned her children, messed them up for life, and what did Lip do? Married someone just like her.

He stopped on the way to the play room, thinking about it. He'd met Natalie at a work Christmas party-his first year as an accountant for a construction company. She was pretty with bright eyes, straight white teeth and about five pounds of hair, and they'd hooked up almost immediately in the ladies room of the fancy Chinese restaurant that night. After that, their relationship was a whirlwind of passion and infatuation, and Lip hadn't been truly smitten with someone like that since Karen.

When Natalie found out she was pregnant with Daniella, she and Lip eagerly agreed to married, and did almost four months later. The marriage was rocky-Natalie not really happy with being bound to one man which led them several times to counseling, and they mutually (and stupidly) agreed that another baby could save what was left of it. Brooklyn was born in the early hours of the morning and the following evening, Natalie had fled the hospital leaving only a short note about how she was being smothered by roles she'd never wanted and that she needed to find herself. Lip had held his newborn daughter that night after reading the note, and only when Ian came to see him did he cry freely, scared out of his mind. How on Earth could he possibly do it by himself?

Danny sort of remembered Natalie, and had used to ask about her, but tapered off eventually. Brooke was blissfully unaware of her existence and like Liam had been with Monica, simply didn't know enough to worry or even care.

=========================================================================================================

Lip always woke his girls up the same way. He would climb into the bed with them and poke and tickle them until they roused, sometimes just blowing on their faces or kissing their noses.

He opened the door softly around five-thirty and turned off the ocean nightlight. Danny was asleep on her side, a string of drool coming out of her mouth. Brooklyn was on her stomach, butt up in the air. Lip laid beside Brooklyn and softly blew on her face. She stirred, but did not wake. Lip poked her cheek.

“Mmm!” She whined, turning her face the other way.

“Wake up,” Lip said softly. “We need to get ready to go to Uncle Ian's.”

“Uncle Ian?” Danny asked, sitting up, her hair sticking out in every direction.

“Yup.” Lip said, laying his head on Brooklyn's back like she was a pillow. She attempted to swat at him.

“Daddy?” Danny asked, climbing out of bed. “When you get off work can we go get pizza and ice cream?”

“Pizza?” Brooke opened one eye.

“If I ever get to work,” Lip joked dryly. “Come on. Get up, you two poodles.”

“Poodle!” Brooke laughed.

The girls got up and got dressed and Lip fought their hair into ponytails and after teeth brushing and getting shoes and sweaters on they were on their way to Ian's house not too far away. It was still dark outside, and they slept in the car. When Lip knocked on the door of the Milkovich home, Ian answered, already wearing running clothes.

“Hi, guys!” He said, embracing each girl and kissing their cheeks. “You hungry? I just made French Toast.”

He looked at Lip, who shook his head and said politely, “Uh, no thanks. I'm running late.”

He kissed his girls goodbye and headed for work. Once he was gone, Ian fixed the girls a plate and let them pour their own juice. Mickey walked into the kitchen half awake, and stared at the girls.

“Lemur pack's here?” He murmured sleepily, blinking at them.

The girls giggled at the nickname he used for them. Mickey smiled, waking up a little more, and Brooklyn ran to him to be held. Mickey picked her up.

“Fuckin' bad kids,” Mickey scoffed softly, turning her over in his arms .

“No, Uncle Mickey!” She squealed, laughing.

Mickey set her down and scratching under his right pec, moved to over to Ian and raised slightly to kiss him on the corner of his mouth.

“You're up early,” Ian pointed out.

“Got called in,” Mickey said. “Should be home around noon.”

“Everything okay at the plant?” Ian asked.

“Yeah, except for the guys who work on the machinery are fuckin' stupid,” Mickey replied casually, pouring himself some coffee.

“Mmm...” Ian nodded, used to Mickey's attitude about his employees. He fixed his husband some breakfast and Mickey sat down at the table with Lip's daughters to eat some pancakes.

“After you two eat,” Mickey said through a bite of pancakes. “You should go upstairs and go wake up Izzy and the boys. Just go jump up and down on their beds screaming, you know? Flip the light switch on and off.”

Ian chuckled and the girls looked at each other, grinning. After Mickey finished eating, he put his dishes in the dishwasher and went back upstairs to dress. Ian poured the girls some milk and they blew bubbles into their glasses, laughing at each other.

“Daddy said this is his last Saturday to work,” Danny told Ian. “And then next Saturday he'll start taking us places again.”

“Wow,” Ian said, pretending to be excited.

“And next Saturday, I want Daddy to take us to the movies,” Brooke added.

“Maybe we can go to the movies today,” Ian suggested. “I don't think Yevvie works.”

“Oh, yeah!” Danny bounced up and down in her chair excitedly. “Can we, Uncle Ian? Please?”

“Please?” Brooke echoed.

Izzy came downstairs in a t-shirt and underwear, hugging herself for warmth, her hair sticking out in a million directions.

“Mornin',” Ian told her.

“Izzy!” The girls exclaimed excitedly.

“Hi,” Izzy greeted them, her voice groggy with sleep.

The girls got up and moved to hug her. Mickey returned downstairs too, buttoning his shirt. Izzy picked Brooklyn up and Danny told Mickey, “Uncle Ian said we're going to the movies!”

“Oh yeah?” Mickey asked and then to Ian asked, “Babe, you need my bank card?”

Ian shook his head. “Nah, I got it. Thanks, though.”

Yevgeny was the next to get up, and came downstairs with both hands down the back of his sweats scratching his buttcheeks.

“Hey, hey,” Mickey told him sharply. “We got little people company. Getcher hands outta your there.”

“Sorry,” Yevgeny muttered sleepily, removing his hands.

The girls giggled and Brooklyn said, “Ew.”

“Ew is right,” Izzy said. “Boys are so gross.”

“You're one to talk,” Yevgeny told her. “You fart all the time.”

“All the time,” Ian agreed. “And then you announce it. Some lady you are.”

Gavrel came downstairs next and added, “She also burps really loud.”

“Insulin,” Mickey reminded him casually. He kissed the top of his head and scrunched his hair. He then moved to kiss Yevgeny's temple and Izzy's cheek.

“Gotta go to work,” he said, and Ian gave him one final kiss on the lips.

“Why are Danny and Brooke here?” Gavrel asked.

“We're going to the movies,” Danny said. “Are you coming, Gavvie?”

==================================================================================================

Lip found work to be boring. There wasn't much excitement on being a CPA for a construction. He mostly stared at his computer screen and then at his phone, occasionally texting Ian to check on the girls.

'How are they?' He texted.

After a few seconds, Ian replied, 'Watching TV with Gavvie and Izzy. They're fine, Bro'.

'Send me a picture', Lip sent, partially to irritate Ian.

Ian sent him a picture of the back of the girls' heads, to partially irritate Lip.

'Dick', Lip texted him.

====================================================================================================

He remembered the night Natalie left, the night after Brooklyn was born, how he had been holding her in the delivery room, staring out the window. Ian had come in around seven, straight from work, and pulled up the extra chair to sit beside his brother.

“Gonna say I told you so?” Lip had asked in a surprisingly small voice. Ian had never liked Natalie and the two had gone round and round about the dangers of her sticking around.

“No,” Ian had told him, stroking Brooklyn's chubby red cheek. “I'm not gonna say anything. I'm just gonna be here for you. With you.”

Lip had felt his eyes grow wet then because everything Ian had told him about Natalie was true. Ian had warned him that the girls would have a future just like their father and his siblings had been subjected to because Natalie did not care about having a family or love or respect her husband. Lip had screamed at him once, shoved him into the wall telling him to mind his own business. Ian had shoved him back and said, “You'll remember me telling you this when that selfish, trashy bitch walks out on you!”

Tears had began sliding down his cheeks then, and it made little Brooklyn stir and whimper uncomfortably. Ian had wordlessly taken the baby from him.

“I'm sorry,” Lip had said, quickly wiping at his eyes with a deep sigh.

“It's okay,” his brother had replied softly.

“No, I mean, I'm sorry for everything,” Lip had said. “I'm a fucking idiot.”

“Yeah, well you're a fucking idiot who's gonna do a fucking great job raising two fucking great girls,” Ian had told him, kissing Lip's forehead. “And by the way, she's beautiful.”

“You think so?” Lip had finally looked down to really look at his new daughter. “She looks just like Danny.”

“Fiona's gonna be here to help you, and Jimmy, and Debbie, and Carl, and Mickey, and me...” Ian had said. “It takes a village, right?”

=======================================================================================================

“Hey, monsters!” Lip said as Ian let him in the house.

“Daddy!” The girls cried together, racing for their father.

“We went to the movies!” Brooklyn told him. “I got a big soda and spilled it on the floor.”

“Pick me up!” Danny ordered.

“Pick you up?” Lip grinned. “You're all legs.”

He picked her up anyway and looked at Ian.

“Thanks,” he said.

“No problem.” Ian playfully swatted at the seat of Danny's pants. “You two be good for your dad, alright?”

“We will,” Danny said.

“We will,” Brooklyn echoed. “Daddy, hold me too.”

Lip set Danny down and said, “You two have legs. Walk.”

“Daddy!” Brooklyn whined.

“I'm leaving,” Lip teased, opening the door.

Brooklyn groaned and followed him out. He helped the girls into their booster seats and then climbed in the driver seat. As they started home, the girls began chattering about the movie and the snacks they ate and how Izzy chased them around the backyard.

“When we get home,” Danny asked. “Can we play a board game?”

“Oh yeah!” Brooklyn bounced up and down excitedly. “Monopoly Jr., Daddy!”

“Monopoly, huh?” Lip said with a sigh. He wanted a nap, but those days were long over. “Sure.”

“Yay!” Brooklyn clapped.

================================================================================================

For dinner, Lip kept his word and took the girls out for pizza and ice cream. Both girls got towering chocolate cones with rainbow sprinkles, and it dripped down their fists faster than they could eat it. Lip did the best he could with napkins to clean them up.

“When we get back home,” he said. “I'm throwin' you two in the tub.”

“And then Frozen?” Brooklyn asked hopefully.

“And then bedtime,” he corrected her. “I'm beat.”

“Daddy?” Brooklyn asked. “Is Uncle Mickey your brother?”

“No, Uncle Ian is my brother,” Lip explained, trying to catch more chocolate that was running down her arm. “Uncle Mickey is his husband.”

“Who's your husband?” Brooklyn wanted to know.

“Um, I don't have one,” Lip said. “I had a wife, your mom. Husbands are boys. Wives are girls.”

Danny, who understood things a little better, told her little sister, “Our mom's not here anymore.”

“Oh.” Brooklyn hardly seemed interested.

Danny, however, crunched into her cone and a wave of melting chocolate washed over. She gave up and walked over to the trash bin to throw the whole thing away.

“Where is our mom?” She asked. “She died?”

“Our mom died?” Brooklyn echoed.

“No,” Lip said. “She...she did the best thing for you two. She knew she couldn't be a very good mom, so she left.”

“Why wasn't she a good mom?” Danny asked.

“Sometimes, when people grow up and have babies,” Lip said, trying his best to explain it in a way that it wouldn't upset the girls. “They don't feel like moms and dads. Your mom wasn't ready to be a mom, but I was ready to be a dad, so I stayed and she left.”

“When will she be ready to be a mom?” Brooklyn asked. “In April?”

Lip smiled slightly. “I'm not sure, Poodle.”

“Poodle!” The girls exclaimed together.

“Let's go to the restroom,” Lip said. “Clean you two up.”

The small ice cream parlor didn't have a unisex restroom like some grocery stores and department stores, so Lip walked into the woman's room, ignoring all of the stares. It had been a nightmare taking the girls as infants and small toddlers into the men's room to change their diapers.

“Up we go,” Lip grunted, lifting Brooklyn up to reach the sink so she could wash her hands.

Danny stood at the sink next to them, washing her own hands. Lip wondered if Ian or Mickey ever had to deal with little girls and restrooms like this. What had they done with Izzy? Taken her to the men's room? Lip didn't want to take them in there now that they were older and he certainly didn't want any creepers perving on them. An employee walked in and said, “Excuse me, Sir? You can't be in here. This is the ladie's room.”

“Yeah, um, I'm just cleaning up my kids,” Lip explained, holding Brooklyn up to the paper towel dispenser.

“Okay,” the employee said, a large robust black woman. “But YOU can't be in here.”

“How will I get them clean?” Lip asked. “Look, it doesn't matter. We're leaving. Girls, Danny, go.”

He carried Brooklyn out and Danny skipped ahead of him.

==================================================================================================

Ian and Mickey had just finished round one in the sheets. Ian had just crawled over Mickey to reach for their box of sex toys under the bed when his cell phone rang.

“Fuckin' ignore it,” Mickey panted, one arm over his eyes as he laid back, trying to catch his breath.

“It's Lip,” Ian said and then answered, “Hey, Man.”

“Hey,” Lip said, standing on his porch to smoke. “You busy?”

Ian glanced at Mickey, who lifted his arm and stared at him.

“Kind of, but you're good, what's up?” Ian replied, and Mickey flipped him off. Ian grabbed his hand and kissed his middle finger.

“The girls asked about Natalie today,” Lip said.

Ian released Mickey's hand. On and off, he and Lip had discussed what he should say when they asked about their mother.

“I think I fucked up,” Lip said. “I basically told them she didn't want them. You know, nicer, but still.”

“How are they?” Ian asked.

“They're good,” Lip said. “They're bathed, tucked in, asleep-I hope anyway.”

He sighed and asked, “How do you and Mickey do it?”

“To be fair, it's me, Mickey, and Svetlana,” Ian replied. “And it's hard. I mean, we've had some roadblocks, we haven't always been the best parents.”

“You are the best parents, though,” Lip said. “You never seem tired.”

He heard Mickey say, “Bullshit, those little fuckers run us into the ground.”

“Do you have me on speaker?” Lip asked.

Ian laughed softly and said, “I just have a loud phone.”

Mickey reached for the phone and Ian, slightly amused, didn't put up a fight to take it back.

“You worried about those girls?” He asked.

“I dunno,” Lip said with a sigh.

“Listen to me,” Mickey told him. “Those girls are clean, they're fed, they're happy, I'm sure they got a shitload of toys and books and crayons. They do good in school...they're fine, Phillip.”

Lip put his cigarette out under his foot and said, “Mickey, be honest with me. I have fucking issues because I grew up without a mother. Are my kids fucked?”

“No,” Mickey said, and there was no malice, no sarcasm, no anything but blunt honesty to his tone. “You Gallaghers grew up without a mom, and all fuckin' five of you climbed your way outta the gutter.”

“Six,” Ian said. “There's six of us.”

“Shut the fuck up,” Mickey told him. “Liam's a kid.”

“Liam's eighteen,” Ian told him.

“You're doin' alright,” Mickey told Lip. “Now tell your brother good night so I can get back to fuckin' him.”

“Gross, but yeah, you two have a goodnight, give my best to the kids.”

He hung up and went back inside. Danny was sitting on the sofa. Lip stared at her.

“Why aren't you in bed?” He asked.

“Can I sleep in your bed?” She asked him.

“Why?” Lip asked.

Danny said nothing and Lip said, “Yeah, that's fine. Come on, Kid.”

He picked her up and carried her down the hall to his own bedroom. Once he had her in the bed, she snuggled up next to him and said sleepily, “I think you're the best daddy. Better than that daddy on that commercial even that buys his daughter a crystal nail set.”

“That means a lot to me,” Lip told her, stroking some of her thick, dirty blonde curls.

They both drifted off and were both startled awake with Brooklyn coming down the hall crying.

“Daddy?” She sobbed. “Daddy?”

“In here, Baby,” he called back drowsily. “Brookie, come see me.”

Brooklyn pushed his door open all the way and climbed into the bed.

“I was lonely,” she sniffled. “Danny was gone.”

“Danny's right here,” he said, scooting over to make room. He kissed her and said, “Go to sleep. You're okay.”

They were okay, he thought. They would have to be okay. If Ian and Mickey could make it, surely he could.

 

 

 


End file.
